What Is Factor V Leiden
Thrombophilia?
Factor V Leiden thrombophilia is an inherited disorder of
blood clotting. Factor V Leiden is the name of a specific
mutation (genetic alteration) that results in thrombophilia, or
an increased tendency to form abnormal blood clots in blood
vessels.
People who have the factor V Leiden mutation are at somewhat
higher than average risk for a type of clot that forms in large
veins in the legs (deep venous thrombosis, or DVT) or a clot
that travels through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs
(pulmonary embolism, or PE).
Factor V Leiden is the most common inherited form of
thrombophilia. Between 3 and 8 percent of the Caucasian (white)
U.S. and European populations carry one copy of the factor V
Leiden mutation, and about 1 in 5,000 people have two copies of
the mutation. The mutation is less common in other
populations.
Health
Related Websites
The National Cancer
Institute
The National Eye
Institute
The National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute
National Institute on
Aging
National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institute of
Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
National Institute on Drug
Abuse
National Institute of Mental
Health
National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke
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